Dividers.



No. 828,608 PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

E. KEANE.

DIVIDERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.6.1906.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Zdwardlahe 4 Tron/ us .rHl: NORRIS PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED srArss PATENT omen.

DIVIDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

Application filed Apr 06- Sefial 310,348.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD KEANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dividers, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to what are known as dividers, and the object thereof is to provide an improved device or devices of this class designed particularly for use in plotting a ships position on a chart; and with this object in view the invention consists in a device or devices of the class specified constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my instrument in use; Figs. 2 and 3,detail views of the hinge in the open and closed positions; i

Fig. 4, a plan view; and Fig. 5 a diagrammatic view of a chart, showing method of laying down a ships position.

My instrument is a form of chart position dividers or compasses provided with three legs A, B, and C. D represents a pair of wing pieces hinged together at E, and to these wings the legs B and C are hinged in the jaws (Z of the same by the pivots G in any suitable manner. The leg A at the top forms the pivot E, on which the wing-pieces are hinged. The legs B and C, however, being hinged at G, they-can be moved so as to bring their points nearer to or farther away from the point of the leg A. The hinged wings D are made with shoulders d which form no obstruction to the wings, being folded flat together, as shown in Fig. 3, but prevent their being opened Wider than a right angle, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus no matterwhat the position of the legs A, B, and C if the shoulders (i of the wings D abut together a line drawn from the point of A to the point of B and from the point of A to the point of C will be at right angles to each other. By turning the legs B and C on their hinges G their points are brought nearer to or farther away from the point of the leg A. The mode of using the instrument is as follows: Latitude is measured, say, with the legs A C and longitude with the legs AB. The legs A C are placed on the meridian nearest the supposed longitude, leg C resting on the parallel from which the latitude is measured and where it is intersected by the meridian nearest the ships longitude. Then the leg B will show the ships position. Now suppose the ship be in latitude 45 north, longitude 34 west, and it is required to plot the ships position in a chart such as shown in Fig. 5. First measure the latitude with the legs A C by placing the leg C of the dividers on 40 north and squeezing them until the point of the leg A touches 45 north. Then measure the longitude with the legs A B by placing leg A of the dividers on 30 west and squeezing leg B until its point touches 34 west. Then place leg C on the fortieth parallel where it is intersected by the thirtieth meridian and the leg A on the thirtieth meridian, then where the point of B rests is the ships position on the chart.

' The leg A is fixed on the axis of the hinge and in alinement with said axis, while legs B C are, as before mentioned, movable on their hinges. When the compass is not required for use, the wing-pieces D are folded together flat, as shown in Fig. 3, and the legs are then in parallel planes. When required for use, however, these wing-pieces D are opened out at right angles. My present invention dispenses with the use of two separate compasses or with the use of a parallelruler and a pair of two-leg compasses, and thus saves an officer a considerable amount of time in plotting the ships position on a chart.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In three-legged dividers, a straight leg fixed on the axis of a hinge and in alinement with said axis, and two adjustable legs fixed to the wings of said hinge.

2. In three legged dividers, a pair of hinged Wing-pieces capable of being folded flat together, and provided with shoulders to my inventionlhave sig'n ed'nly name, in pres prevent their opening farther than a right ence of the subscribing Witnesses, this 5th. angle, a straight leg fixed on the axis of the day of April, 1906-. hinge and the other two legs also straight 5 and hinged to the wing pieces, substantially I Witnesses as shown and described. l 1 F. A. STEWART,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as O. E. MULREANY.

EDWARD KEANE. 

